Signal
by sariee
Summary: She was everything he hated. Everything he couldn't have. And the only thing keeping him going. FredOC.


**Disclaimer: Jo owns everything except my OCs.**

**AN: The title was inspired by one of my favorite quotes from the movie P.S. I Love You. R&R!**

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After an exceptionally busy day working at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, a very exasperated Fred Weasley leaned on the doorway of the Burrow and couldn't help but wonder why he'd ever agreed to do this favor in the first place. Beside him stood Phillip Spewter, his roommate as of the beginning of the summer, and the whole reason Fred was standing at two in the morning outside of Fleur Delacour's bachelorette party. She and Fred's brother Bill would be getting married the next day, and Fleur had been given permission from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to hold a "small get together" at their home where she was currently staying, although the turnout was much more crowded and elaborate then had been originally expected.

"Ready, mate?" Fred turned the door handle and looked to Phillip.

"You don't think Fleur will be upset at us for crashing her party?" He replied, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. "We should at least knock first, don't you think?"

"Well for one, we've been knocking for the past ten minutes," Fred stated bluntly. "At least I apparated us to the outside of the house so we could enter like civilized people, and not just pop up in the sitting room or something. And I did _live_ here for the last eighteen years, you know, up until a few months ago. All we have to do is get inside, grab the girl, and get out. Fleur won't even notice."

"You honestly think we'll be able to get through the house without anyone noticing?! By the looks of it there must be at least thirty women in there!" Upon peeping through the window Phillip's eyes grew to be the size of bludgers, perhaps bigger.

Fred smirked. "Phil, you really haven't a clue what I am capable of, have you?"

That being said, Fred turned and pushed the old, crooked front door open and stepped inside, his friend reluctantly in tow.

The interior of the first floor of the Burrow had been completely covered in pink: streamers, flowers, balloons, confetti. The place was hardly recognizable; Fred even had a bit of a hard time finding his way to the the kitchen. His initial plan had been to simply get upstairs and out of sight of the party guests as quickly as possible, although once he entered the room, the screechy voice of one unmistakable French bride-to-be reached his ears.

"Vat do you two tink you are doing here?!" Fleur had been preparing drinks at the counter, and rushed over to where the two boys stood, paralyzed. "If zat paranoid fiancé of mine sent you to spy on me.."

"Damn," Fred cursed himself under his breath, thoroughly disappointed at himself that his plan hadn't worked.

Meanwhile, Phillip was working on talking the two of them out of being hexed by the angry Veela. "We didn't come to spy, honest! We just came for Annie, and then we're out of here."

Fleur, arms crossed tightly in front of her, loosened up a little and rolled her eyes.

"Your intoxicated girlfriend iz passed out in zee twins' old room upstairs." She said, looking over at Fred, who was still thinking to himself and not paying attention.

"Right, thanks." Phillip turned and motioned Fred to follow him, snapping him out of his dreamlike state.

Once they were a good distance out of Fleur's earshot, Phillip spoke.

"'Grab the girl and get out,' eh?" He started, glancing back at Fred annoyedly. "Some plan that was."

"It would have worked if we'd gone inside after the _second_ time you tried knocking at the door, when I suggested it, instead of waiting until now!" Fred shot back, pulling Phillip back behind him and taking the lead up to his old room on the second floor. "And besides, at least now we actually know where your girlfriend is instead of having to wander around looking like a couple of dunces trying to find her."

"Nice pick by the way. I'd always pictured you as the kind of bloke who would end up with a drunkard." He added smartly. "Just comes along with the professional Quidditch player's lifestyle, I suppose."

"She is _not_ a drunkard," Phillip retorted hotly.

The rest of the walk up was silent, save for the eerie creaking of the wooden staircase beneath them.

Seeing his best mate's girl sprawled out atop his old Chudley Cannons comforter was a strange scenario for Fred to take in. With her hair matted and strewn across the neon orange pillowcases messily and drool seeping out of the corner of her mouth, the girl was completely out of it, even after Phillip's attempts of waking her by splashing water on her face. All this accomplished was a soaked bedspread and running mascara.

Fred wasn't so much paying attention to Phillip and Annie as he was surveying his and George's room. He missed rooming with his twin, who had recently moved out from their flat and was now living in Didsbury with his longtime girlfriend Alicia Spinnet. The pair's days together at Hogwarts had provided Fred some of his most treasured memories, and although he did not miss the place, he did miss the fun he and George had there getting into as much trouble as they could possibly manage without getting themselves expelled.

Deciding that now was not the time to be reminiscing, Fred shook his head lightly and looked back to the bed where Annie was laying.

"Alright, we leaving?" He asked and turned to see Phillip first on his hands and knees looking underneath his and George's beds, before standing and turning to the dresser and sifting through the random items scattered across the top.

"Having fun rummaging through my old junk?" No answer. "Y' know, if it's my old smut collection you're looking for, bottom shelf of the closet, behind the shoes. Those should certainly be enough to keep you and your girl entertained for at least the next few weeks."

"I was looking for her purse, Fred. Honestly, you do run a one track mind." Phillip rolled his eyes at the snickering red head. "Anyway, it's probably downstairs. Do you think you could go ahead to the flat with her? I'll catch up with you," he asked.

Fred shrugged his shoulders carelessly. He normally would have made a comment of some sort or cracked another joke, but the long day was really beginning to have its effect on him, and getting home so he could get some shut eye seemed like a fine idea.

"Thanks mate. Be careful with her." Phillip winked and gave Fred a pat on the shoulder before heading out the bedroom door. Fred could hear the floor boards groaning as he made his way back down the hall to the stairway.

He walked to the bed and hoisted Annie up into his arms, which was decidedly easy as she was really quite petite, and took one last quick look around the room before apparating out.

Back at the flat, he brought her into Phillip's room and laid her down on the bed carefully. Fred had never seen her before tonight, but had heard all about how beautiful and smart she was from her boyfriend's boasting. And Fred had to admit, he did have quite a lot to boast about. He could tell even through the darkness of the room and makeup running down her face that Annie's beauty was one that was tough to match, with dark chocolate brown hair, full pink lips and a soft, childlike face.

Removing a stray piece of hair from her face, he felt a shiver run down his spine as his hand brushed against her cheek.

Fred stood up quickly, deciding he had spent quite enough time putting Annie to bed, and moved to find a blanket for her. The only one around was his orange Chudley Cannons blanket that he'd recieved for Christmas during his fifth year at Hogwarts from his mother, laying across the top of the living room couch. He may have grown out of his Chudley Cannons comforter but he would be damned if he'd have left behind his favorite blanket as well.

After making sure he had covered all of Annie's body up to her neck, he shut off the light and headed towards his room. There he undressed and didn't even bother properly turning down the bed before plopping down and completely caccooning himself within the covers, trying in vain not to think about the girl laying in the next room over.


End file.
